*UPDATE* True South: Jordan Teear Relief Party

Story by Aaron (Tex) Finnin and party photos by Casey Keener:One month ago Jordan Teear and I were high-fiving in celebration of his first 24-hour Friday 13th super party completion. It was to kick off our long-awaited 4,000 mile summer ride from Los Angles to New York City to meet up with our buddy Oliver Peck. We spent the next 48-hours recovering from messed up sleeping schedules and wrenching the final details on our bikes before heading east. That Sunday the 15th of July the absolute worst wrench was thrown into our adrenaline plan. “We didn’t even make it to the freeway,” became Jordan’s favorite line as he chuckled and told the story of his broken legs and ankles numerous times followed by one of his token light-hearted jokes over the next three weeks…

Life changes, plans take major detours and you can only hope in the face of tragedy you have a brother as beloved by all that come in contact with Jordan Teear around. Wheeling around a five block radius with two casted legs is sure to catch an eye in the middle of Hollywood day after day, but with Jordan everyone passing by wanted to strike up a convo. He’s one of those charismatic people who can’t be ignored and always drawing smiles and laughs to anyone engaging him. “We went from a summer ride to hospital walls, surgery, then Netflix,” Jordan would say. At any rate Jordan has a long road ahead…

The doctors finally cleared him to fly home to London and projected eight weeks before any pressure might be allowed and an estimated year to full recovery, which we all hope will be expedited. None of us could have expected the outreach in calls, letters, social media support and aid… And Jordan and I both sat in awe at the outpouring our tattoo community provided. This morning we packed up and delivered him to his long-awaited flight back to London to reunite with family and friends over the Atlantic.

The Frith Street Tattoo Family ready to embrace and help him back to full strength. Jordan will no doubt be spending countless hours drawing and painting over the next couple of months while he stays wheelchair mobile, and hopefully sooner than later will begin tattooing regular appointment schedules. There can never be enough thanks and gratitude from myself, Jordan and all of his friends and family but I know we all have bigger hearts because of the love given surrounding this event.

In time hopefully we will be able to personally thank each and everyone who gave their love and support. I know I look forward to meeting and seeing all of his mates and family back in the UK at the London Tattoo Convention in September and hopefully Jordan will be plugging away at his booth by then. Again, thank you for everyone’s love and support over the past month. I’m sure all the goodness will come back to all.

Here’s a little more about True South…On March 27 this year the day after my last day working for the All American Rejects I was hit-and-run on my Harley. The accident put me in the hospital with a major concussion, torn rotator cup, and a few scrapes, bumps, bruises, etc. This accident book ending a long strand of hardships from the past year, but nonetheless left me thankful and reflective to slow down and regroup. Countless friends reached out and offered funds, assistance, and words of encouragement and inspired me to create True South. I began struggling with the idea of my friends sending money without return so I asked for their artistic gifts.

I asked for those offering their aid to create a t-shirt design. In return these designs would help create an accident relief fund for friends in the art community in need of help during unforeseen accidents. My ultimate goal is to help create some sort of insurance network for artists and service industry workers, but for now I’m starting small. Some of the most revered artists in the tattoo and music community have offered their support and creations and I am reaching out to any and all friends who might want to join in this cause. For now I will be releasing t-shirt designs periodically as the artists complete them. I am excited to see where this journey will take me and those involved. Below are the first two designs created by Eric Gillespie from Chicago Tattoo Company.

I am always open to new ideas and any help you might want to offer. Feel free to check updates on our True South Instagram @truesouth